Women hit by state pension age rise are 'sick with anxiety' ahead of Court of Appeal judgment

‘Women hit by the state pension age rise have been tortured under a tyrannical system that has sabotaged women’s rights,’ says campaigner

Michael Mansfield QC, representing the women when the case was heard virtually back in July, said the impact of the state pension age change had been 'catastrophic' (Getty Images)

Women hit by the state pension age rise are “sick with anxiety” as they wait for their Court of Appeal judgment to be handed down on Tuesday.

Almost four million women were impacted by the government hiking up the state pension age from 60 to 66 for women born after March 1950. The age rise was accelerated in 2010 and saw women reach equality with men, at 65, in 2018.

BackTo60, a campaign group calling for women to be reimbursed for pension payments they have missed due to the changes, lost its landmark High Court battle against the government — but appealed the ruling at the end of July.

Julia Jacobs, who was affected by the state pension age rise, told The Independent women in her position are deeply anxious about the verdict.

The 60-year-old, who lives in Solihull, said: “1950s-born women on different groups are saying we have got no hope because they are sick with anxiety about tomorrow. We have been kicked in the teeth so many times by the government that we almost expect to be disappointed yet again.

“An awful lot of the 3.8 million women hit by the state pension age are very depressed, despondent and some are even verging on being suicidal. I am extremely worried about tomorrow. I can’t settle. I have been out sweeping the driveway to calm myself down. I woke up at three in the morning and have not been back to sleep since. So much is hinging on this. I am picking up my phone constantly going on the various pension groups to see if anything has been pre-announced. 

"I am no longer doing my work at the college and am not furloughed. Everything gets worse and worse. The price of food is going up. I am struggling for money. I am having to be very, very careful. I am feeling very isolated. I live in Solihull which is part of the lockdown. The coronavirus numbers are rising. I can’t take six more years of penny-pinching until I get my state pension. It is hard for me to find work because of ageism.”

Ms Jacobs was working as a part-time exam invigilator on a zero-hour contract before the coronavirus crisis but is now living off life savings due to getting no furlough payments. 

She argued it was “morally incumbent” for the government to admit they didn’t give women hit by the state pension age increase the "legal statutory notice” to prepare for the rise.

She said she was dependant on her state pension due to spending most of her adult life bringing up four children and project-managing properties she bought with her former husband.

Joanne Welch, founder of Backto60, told The Independent she was positive about the Court of Appeal judgment but added that waiting for the result had been a “huge mental challenge”.

She said: “We expect great things tomorrow. We deserve full restitution. We won leave to appeal on all grounds. Many women are emotional because of the long wait. Many of their circumstances are hugely challenging. Tomorrow is a day which can turn their lives back around to what they should be.

“We are disappointed we had to wait all summer for a result. Women hit by the state pension age rise have been tortured under a tyrannical system that has sabotaged women’s rights. I had a woman contact me who is terminally ill, who should have had her pension, but who is still working amid the pandemic. She was trying to sort out benefits but the system was pushing back against her. She has to work to live. What has it come to? It is haunting.”

“Justice Lang in her summing up for the case two years ago said it should be dealt with urgently. They have dragged this out over a couple of years and I am sure she will be disappointed that it has been prolonged.”

The Independent previously reported on how women affected by the overhaul to the state pension have been driven into destitution after losing their jobs in the Covid-19 emergency, while others have been forced to carry on working — despite their age putting them at risk of serious complications from the life-threatening disease.

Michael Mansfield QC, representing the women when the case was heard virtually back in July, said the impact of the state pension age change had been “catastrophic”.

He said: “We have a group of essentially, economically and emotionally, disenfranchised women. So it is against that background that we do submit that there are grounds for discrimination”.

Julie Delve and Karen Glynn, two women hit by the pension age rise who took the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to court back in 2019, launched the challenge at the Court of Appeal.

The women, who are both in their sixties and supported by BackTo60, argue increasing their pension age unlawfully discriminated against them on the basis of age and sex, and they were not provided with sufficient notice of the pension overhaul.

The government says the changes to the pension age were clearly communicated and are necessary to ensure sustainability as life expectancy increases. The Court of Appeal judgment will be handed down at 10.30am on Tuesday morning.